Forty years ago this week, a provincial club who had spent their entire existence scuffling below stairs burst through the skylight.
On a magic carpet ride, which took just five years to sail through the divisions, Graham Taylor and Elton John plotted a memorable flight path, culminating in Watford's promotion to the penthouse – for the first time in 101 years of toil - with a 2-0 win at home to Wrexham. The following season, tugging no forelocks and curtseying to nobody, the Hornets finished runners-up behind Liverpool and 30-goal striker Luther Blissett won the Golden Boot as top scorer in Europe's major leagues.
More of Blissett, and his invincible place in a club's affections, later – and it's a sad state of affairs. But first, the bigger picture.
